The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-07-21
THE MAioEN.s soLAcE.
Interesting Information Concerning tn
Genuine Spruce Gum.


is not to be despised as chewing SUBJ
stance, and if every body could get the
real article, instead of cheap, adulter-
ated stuff, the army of chewers would
be vastly augmented. The natural gum
is said by physicians to be beneficial to
the teeth, and it is certainly great
Improvements on tobacco. The woods
men bring out considerable quantities
of gum, sometimes packed in pretty
miniature barrels, which they whittle
and carve from blocks of white pine or
cedar during idle hours by the camp
fire, as presents for their friends, but
there are people who make business
of gathering gum. and in certain sec
tions of the spruce country it pays well.
Most of the spruce gum handled by
the dealers comes from Canada and
Northern Maine, while Vermont and
New Hampshire contribute moderate
quantity to the total yield. The best
gum comes from no particular section,
but always from the biggest spruce
trees, and It begins to run in July or
August, when, in these high latitudes
the sun becomes so hot as to crack the
bark. On the limbs, in the crotches,
and even in the trunk of the spruce,
the molten gum forms during the heat
of summer in all sorts of fantastic
shapes, and when cold weather sets in
it becomes hard. The first year after
its run the gum is white and pitchy,
then it begins to turn amber and red,
and the second year it is fit to ''pick''
for the market. although it is better If
allowed to remain on the trees until the
third year. After the third season the
gum remains in the same state for sew
eral years, and then begins to ''turn
DID," as the pickers say. and the con-
sumner complains that it sschews hard"
and crumbles up. A little more age
makes it dark-colored and bitter, and
then its value is gone.
UP in Canada much of the gum is
picked in the autumn, beginning as
early as October, but there. as in Maine,
the best time for the work is during the
deep SHOWS of the winter, when snow
shoes are used, or in the early spring,
when man can travel along at lively
rate on the heavy crust, above the
underbrush. The pickers are provided
with long poles, on the end of which is
fastened sharp chisel. and UNDER
meath that cup to receive the gum as
it is Clipped off. The cup holds from a
pint to q quart, and when full it is
emptied into long bag which the
packer carries slung to his back like a
knapsack. These gum harvesters erect
huts in the woods when far distant from
settlement or logging camp, and
stay from two days to week on trip.
When they have secured as much as
they can ''tote" they come out. and
| then the women and children have the
tedious job of scraping each and every
| lump free from bark and moss. The
clean. bright article offered for sale in
the shops looks very much different
from the brown nuggets in the picker's
bag, although occasionally clear,
shiny piece is found on the limb of q
| large tree.
1t is the cleaning of the gum that
makes a first-class article expensive.
An ordinary picker usually earns fair
days wages, although in localities that
have not been explored he sometimes
strikes it RICH" have known man
to gather thirty dollars worth of gun
in one day.
| There are two or three firms in Maine
| which buy large quantities of gum from
lumbermen and pickers Cor the purpose
of refining it. as they say. But, as a
general rule. the refining consists of
adulteration with rosin. They throw
the gum into big vat, bark. moss and
all, and boil it to about the consistency
OF molasses, skimmingotf the impurities
as they rise to the surface. Then, if the
| purpose be to adulterate, some lard or
grease and a lot of rosin is thrown in,
with sometimes little sugar. The mix
ture is stirred until thick, and then
/ poured out on slab. where, while it is
| yet hot, it is rolled out in sheet about
quarter of an inch thick, and after
ward cut with steel die into pieces
half an inch wide and three-quarters OF
an inch long. These pieces are wrapped
in colored tissue paper and packed in
wooden boxes-two hundred pieces to a
box. This is the so-called patent
gum. Tons of it are sold south and
west of US, but here on the verge of the
| primeyal forest it is drug in the
market. Bangor Me. Cor. N 7. Sun.
/ There is now little doubt that 1897
will be the biggest building year that
this country has ever known in rall-
roads, factories and other houses. II is
now estimated that 21.000 miles of Pew
and $4,000 miles of old railway trs ok
will be laid this year-thus affording
the iron furnaces and steel rolling and
rail mills an abundance of work. The
cost OF these railroads is estimated at
| 1888, 600, 600 for the new and $1O0, 000,-
| 600 for the old roads-or say $3.50, ,0OO,-
600 of capital needed for the railroads